When working with families from diverse backgrounds, it is imperative to make sure that our interventions are consistent with the family’s culture and values. Guiberson & Ferris studied caregiver interaction style in Latino families to identify interventions that would be culturally appropriate for the Latino population.

European–American families tend to use an independent style of interaction with their children:emphasizing the child’s individuality, following the child’s lead, and allowing the child to explore toys in different ways. This study found that the majority (75%) of Latino families interacted with their children using a more interdependent style. An interdependent interaction style emphasizes the child’s relationships and belonging to the family and cultural group. Caregivers who use an interdependent interaction style are more likely to direct the child’s attention, teach explicitly, show children how to play with toys, and use more commands and directives in their language.

Considering how Latino families tend to interact with their children, EI approaches that emphasize following a child’s lead may not be culturally appropriate for all Latino families. When working with families who use an interdependent interaction style, consider using the following interventions:

Explicit teaching combined with attention directions

Modeling

Focused stimulation

Dialogic reading

Because these interventions give the caregiver more of an authoritative role in the interaction, they may feel more natural for Latino parents and therefore be more likely to be implemented. Latino mothers reported feeling more comfortable with a didactic style in which the parent gives commands, directs the child’s behavior, and explicitly teaches children how to complete tasks.

Check out the original article for more in-depth descriptions of these interventions and information on Latino caregiver preferred activities.